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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bound — certain
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spring — of water
  7. pit — in a race
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bound — obliged
  12. root — of a plant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — ground
  15. root — of a word
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bark — to shout
  21. root — the cause
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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