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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. root — of a word
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. season — in sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — there
  14. bark — to shout
  15. root — of a plant
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. plane — a tool
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. root — the cause
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. plane — in geometry

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