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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chest — of your body
  7. last — to go on
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. last — final
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. last — finally
  12. chest — a box
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pound — a weight
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. prune — to trim

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