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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. saw — the tool
  4. root — of a word
  5. game — wild animals
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. root — the cause
  11. game — a match
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rest — a break
  20. root — of a plant
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. game — a kind of play

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