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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. rule — government
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bark — to shout
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rule — a law
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — in football
  17. rule — to rule out
  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