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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bark — to shout
  3. root — the cause
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rule — government
  9. field — a subject
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bore — to drill
  12. field — farmland
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. lean — thin
  17. rule — a law
  18. field — for sport
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — gave birth
  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