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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a music group
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. row — a line
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. root — of a word
  13. bulb — for light
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. root — of a plant
  16. board — a committee
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — to shout
  21. root — the cause
  22. board — to get on
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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