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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. object — to protest
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. suit — to fit
  7. toast — bread
  8. suit — in cards
  9. object — a thing
  10. date — the fruit
  11. branch — a division
  12. bark — to shout
  13. shower — rain
  14. suit — clothes
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. object — an aim
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. date — on the calendar

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