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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bass — low music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. prune — to trim
  9. club — for golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. club — for dancing
  12. ground — a position
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ground — crushed
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. club — a group
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rest — a break
  24. chair — to sit on

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