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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 a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. root — of a word
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rash — a series
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bark — to shout
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bark — of a tree

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