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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. content — happy
  3. spell — magic
  4. bark — to shout
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lean — thin
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. spell — letters
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. content — the amount
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. coach — a trainer

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