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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — a tin
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — of a word
  7. perch — the fish
  8. root — of a plant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — in sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bark — to shout
  19. can — a tin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. can — to be able to
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. root — the cause
  24. patient — a sick person

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