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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. scale — in music
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rule — a law
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lie — to recline
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. root — of a word
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wind — moving air
  24. root — the cause

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