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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chest — of your body
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spring — the season
  9. root — of a word
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chest — a box
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. staff — employees
  15. ball — a dance
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — a coil
  19. root — the cause
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. file — a tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. ball — a great time
  24. file — a line of people

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