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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. root — of a word
  3. hand — help
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. root — of a plant
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. root — the cause
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stock — goods
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lash — an eyelash

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