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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. current — of water
  5. spring — of water
  6. root — of a word
  7. current — happening now
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chair — a leader
  10. can — a tin
  11. squash — to crush
  12. spring — a coil
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. root — the cause
  17. current — electric
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. root — of a plant
  24. spring — the season

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