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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. root — of a word
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bound — certain
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. root — the cause
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pit — a hole

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