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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. net — for catching
  4. season — in sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. root — the cause
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — after costs
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. net — in sport
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. band — a music group
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. root — of a plant
  23. season — of the year
  24. cabinet — ministers

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