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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wound — an injury
  4. root — the cause
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. dip — to sink
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mine — for digging
  14. root — of a plant
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. court — of a king
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. court — of law
  23. root — of a word
  24. court — for sport

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