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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 120 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ball — a great time
  3. can — a tin
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. present — there
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bark — to shout
  9. can — a tin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kid — child
  13. fall — the season
  14. can — to be able to
  15. root — of a word
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. present — the time now
  19. fall — to drop
  20. root — the cause
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kid — to tease

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