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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. staff — employees
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rest — a break
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — of a word
  9. vault — a safe
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. face — to confront
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. shower — rain
  17. last — to go on
  18. face — part of the head
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. face — to point toward
  22. root — the cause
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rest — what's left

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