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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. root — of a plant
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. scale — in music
  10. root — the cause
  11. bark — to shout
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. root — of a word
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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