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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — to shout
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. content — happy
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. squash — to crush
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. firm — a company
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. foot — a measure
  20. content — the amount
  21. firm — decided
  22. fall — the season
  23. squash — the sport
  24. fall — to drop

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