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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rock — music
  5. object — a thing
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. land — a country
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. land — ground
  13. shower — rain
  14. land — to come down
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rock — a stone
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stem — of a plant

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