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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. root — of a word
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. root — the cause
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. file — a document
  14. root — of a plant
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. file — a tool

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