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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rock — music
  7. face — to confront
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rock — a stone
  10. root — of a word
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. branch — a division
  19. root — of a plant
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. root — the cause
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stand — on your feet

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