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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. game — a match
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. charge — in control
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. charge — a price
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. charge — electricity
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. hand — help
  22. bark — to shout
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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