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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. object — to protest
  3. stem — to come from
  4. can — a tin
  5. object — an aim
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. court — for sport
  8. pit — a hole
  9. court — of a king
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. game — wild animals
  18. can — to be able to
  19. game — a match
  20. court — of law
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. object — a thing
  24. fan — a supporter

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