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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. spell — magic
  6. cell — in biology
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pass — a permit
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cell — a phone
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. root — of a word
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. root — of a plant
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stand — to bear
  24. root — the cause

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