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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fine — all right
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. present — the time now
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. prune — to trim
  17. present — there
  18. prune — the fruit

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