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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bark — to shout
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wake — a trail
  10. root — the cause
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — a partner
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bound — certain
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mouse — for a computer

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