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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — employees
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cap — a lid
  11. face — to point toward
  12. track — a song
  13. prune — to trim
  14. face — to confront
  15. cap — a hat
  16. track — to keep track
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. staff — employees
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. cap — of ice
  24. track — a path

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