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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lean — to bend
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — of a king
  6. fall — to drop
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. court — for sport
  9. cold — not warm
  10. court — of law
  11. lean — thin
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fall — to drop
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. foot — a measure
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fall — the season
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bark — of a tree

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