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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. board — a committee
  8. cold — an illness
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. board — to get on
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bark — to shout
  13. squash — to crush
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rush — hurry
  20. squash — the sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. board — a flat piece

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