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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. root — the cause
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. mate — a friend
  7. shower — to wash
  8. cap — a lid
  9. file — a tool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. file — a document
  12. root — of a word
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cap — a hat
  23. shower — rain
  24. file — a line of people

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