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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mug — a cup
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pit — in a race
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. band — a music group
  12. prune — to trim
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. shower — rain
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mug — a face
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — of a word

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