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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 124 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. march — music
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. snap — to click
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — an injury
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bark — to shout
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. march — the month
  19. root — the cause
  20. fine — high quality
  21. march — the month
  22. root — of a word
  23. wound — an injury
  24. root — of a plant

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