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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. foot — a measure
  4. object — a thing
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mark — a trace
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. object — to protest
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bass — low music
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mark — a grade
  17. object — an aim
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. root — the cause

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