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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. present — there
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wake — a trail
  8. hand — help
  9. present — the time now
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — the cause
  18. present — a gift
  19. root — of a word
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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