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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cold — not warm
  9. root — of a word
  10. rush — hurry
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. bark — to shout
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. root — the cause
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bank — for money
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — to get on

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