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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. last — final
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. root — of a plant
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. last — to go on
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. last — finally
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bark — to shout
  13. root — the cause
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lean — thin
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. root — of a word
  21. lean — to bend
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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