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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. shower — rain
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. clip — for paper
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bear — the animal

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