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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. tube — a container
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — the cause
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. root — of a word
  11. last — finally
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rule — government
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. last — final
  20. root — of a plant
  21. last — to go on
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. nail — for a hammer

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