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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 120 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ground — a position
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stock — goods
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stock — shares
  14. prune — to trim
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fine — a penalty

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