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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 124 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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rule — a law
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rule — government
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. roll — a list
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rock — a stone
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rock — music
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. prune — to trim
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — a position

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