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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 120 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 piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. key — in music
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. root — of a word
  9. key — for a lock
  10. file — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. file — a document
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rock — music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. file — a line of people
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. root — the cause
  24. rock — a stone

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