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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. last — to go on
  4. lean — thin
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. face — to confront
  8. lean — to bend
  9. last — final
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. face — to point toward
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bark — to shout
  19. last — finally
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. face — part of the head
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bulb — for light

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