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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wound — an injury
  5. last — finally
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — the cause
  8. last — to go on
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bark — to shout
  11. last — final
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rock — a stone
  14. suit — in cards
  15. root — of a word
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. suit — clothes
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rock — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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