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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. sharp — clever
  3. shower — rain
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. root — of a word
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bark — to shout
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. root — the cause
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. root — of a plant
  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