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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bark — to shout
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. toast — bread
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bear — the animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bank — for money
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bank — for money
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bass — low music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. toast — the most admired

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