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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. spell — letters
  11. snap — to click
  12. scale — in music
  13. foot — a measure
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spell — a short time
  16. roll — a list
  17. prune — to trim
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — to shout
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. spell — magic
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. scale — size or range

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