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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. charge — a price
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. charge — electricity
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. charge — in control
  23. bark — to shout
  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