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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 124 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lean — to bend
  6. content — the amount
  7. rush — hurry
  8. root — of a word
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lean — thin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. root — of a plant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cue — for pool
  22. content — happy
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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