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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.

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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. foot — a measure
  4. cell — in biology
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tube — the underground
  9. board — to get on
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. spell — magic
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. spell — letters
  22. cell — a phone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. board — a committee

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