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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. root — the cause
  3. rash — a series
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wake — a trail
  7. branch — a division
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. scale — in music
  10. root — of a word
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spell — a short time
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rest — a break
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spell — magic
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spell — letters
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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