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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rest — a break
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bear — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rash — a series
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. shower — rain
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rash — hasty
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rest — what's left

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