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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. track — a song
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cap — of ice
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. track — to keep track
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fall — the season
  24. track — a path

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