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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. root — of a word
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — in sport
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mug — to rob
  9. season — of the year
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. root — of a plant
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mug — a cup
  20. root — the cause
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mug — a face
  24. saw — the tool

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