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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. root — the cause
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. root — of a word
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. plane — a tool
  14. game — a match
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. season — in sport
  18. swing — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — of a plant
  21. season — of the year
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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