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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bark — to shout
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spell — magic
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. net — after costs
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. net — in sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. spell — letters
  23. mark — a grade
  24. root — the cause

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