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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. present — a gift
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. last — to go on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. present — the time now
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bark — to shout
  16. root — the cause
  17. stand — to bear
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. root — of a word
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. stand — on your feet

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