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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. cap — of ice
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. net — after costs
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. squash — the sport
  15. net — in sport
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cap — a lid
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. root — of a word
  22. bark — to shout
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cap — a hat

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