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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pass — a permit
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. chair — a leader
  12. root — of a word
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. clip — a video
  15. root — the cause
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. staff — employees
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. staff — employees
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. prune — to trim

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