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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. root — of a word
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cell — a phone
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. game — wild animals
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — a match
  10. deal — to handle
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. key — the most important part
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. root — the cause
  17. key — in music
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. shower — rain
  20. cell — in biology
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. key — for a lock
  23. shower — to wash
  24. calf — a young animal

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