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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. root — of a word
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. snap — to click
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — in a road
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pound — a weight
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bark — to shout
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pass — to succeed

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