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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. root — of a word
  6. squash — the sport
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — of a plant
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. root — the cause
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — a division
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. craft — boats
  24. game — wild animals

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