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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bark — to shout
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. board — to get on
  8. mine — for digging
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — the fish
  19. board — a committee
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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