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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. root — of a plant
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cue — a signal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. can — a tin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pass — to spend time

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