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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. root — of a plant
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. kid — to tease
  7. capital — a city
  8. lean — thin
  9. capital — money
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wake — a trail
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. root — the cause
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. kid — child
  23. root — of a word
  24. straw — dry grass

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