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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — of a plant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. root — the cause
  12. object — an aim
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — of a word
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — for sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. object — to protest
  21. field — farmland
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. object — a thing
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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