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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. ground — a position
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stock — goods
  13. chair — a leader
  14. toast — bread
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to click
  24. stock — shares

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