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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. saw — the tool
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. staff — employees
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. root — of a word
  17. rest — what's left
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rest — a break
  24. perch — for a bird

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