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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. land — to come down
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stock — goods
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. roll — a list
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — ground
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — a country
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cue — a signal
  20. hand — help
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. hand — in cards

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