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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pass — a permit
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. root — of a word
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — a company
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bark — to shout
  16. root — the cause
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — certain
  22. season — in sport
  23. firm — steady
  24. season — of the year

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