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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bark — to shout
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. land — to come down
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. land — ground
  16. spell — magic
  17. land — a country
  18. pit — a hole
  19. root — the cause
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. root — of a word
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pit — in a race

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