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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. season — of the year
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bark — to shout
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. sharp — clever
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bass — low music
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. prune — to trim
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. bass — the fish
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. straw — a straw man

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