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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bark — to shout
  7. squash — the sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spell — letters
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chair — a leader
  16. squash — to crush
  17. file — a document
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. staff — employees
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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