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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. content — happy
  6. pound — a weight
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — the amount
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. lean — thin
  20. root — the cause
  21. bark — to shout
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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