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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. last — to go on
  4. net — for catching
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. last — final
  9. foot — a measure
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. ground — a position
  14. toast — bread
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — in sport
  20. deal — to handle
  21. net — after costs
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. last — finally
  24. prune — to trim

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