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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. root — of a word
  11. track — a path
  12. root — of a plant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kid — child
  16. rush — hurry
  17. root — the cause
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. track — a song
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. spring — of water
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kid — to tease

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