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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. squash — to crush
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. spell — magic
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spell — letters
  14. sharp — clever
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — a series
  18. kid — child
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. spell — a short time
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. suit — in cards
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bark — to shout

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