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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. foot — a measure
  5. season — of the year
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. suit — clothes
  8. root — of a plant
  9. clip — to cut
  10. suit — to fit
  11. row — to paddle
  12. clip — a video
  13. row — a line
  14. root — the cause
  15. season — in sport
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. snap — to click
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bark — to shout
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. root — of a word

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