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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. root — of a plant
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — hasty
  14. root — of a word
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — a series
  21. root — the cause
  22. game — a match
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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