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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bore — to tire
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. clip — for paper
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rule — a law
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rule — government

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