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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. last — final
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — to go on
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. field — farmland
  8. bark — to shout
  9. field — for sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. last — finally
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cue — for pool

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