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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pop — to visit
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spring — of water
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. clip — for paper
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — a video
  17. root — the cause
  18. bark — to shout
  19. clip — to cut
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. suit — to fit
  22. spring — the season
  23. rest — what's left
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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