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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. mate — to breed
  3. content — the amount
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. net — in sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rush — hurry
  10. root — the cause
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. season — in sport
  14. content — happy
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. root — of a word
  18. season — of the year
  19. root — of a plant
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — a partner

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