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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · spring · roll · wake · last · nail · chair · bark

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. roll — a cake
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. last — finally
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bark — to shout
  15. spring — of water
  16. chair — a leader
  17. roll — a list
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bulb — for light
  22. last — final
  23. spring — the season
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com