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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. file — a line of people
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. firm — a company
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. file — a tool
  15. firm — steady
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. firm — decided
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. shower — rain
  20. file — a document
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — to shout
  23. net — after costs
  24. toast — bread

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