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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stock — shares
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. last — to go on
  13. stock — goods
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. last — final
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — finally
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tube — a container
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  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