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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. chair — a leader
  10. net — for catching
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. net — in sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — a short time
  19. net — after costs
  20. lean — thin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lean — to bend

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