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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. face — to confront
  3. bound — obliged
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rash — a series
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bound — certain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rash — hasty
  13. dip — to sink
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. face — to point toward
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. deal — to handle

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