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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. march — the month
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. march — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. rush — hurry
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — a short time
  11. march — the month
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. root — the cause
  16. spell — magic
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. spell — letters
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. root — of a word
  24. bark — to shout

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