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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mark — a grade
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — the fish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bulb — for light

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