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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bound — certain
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rush — hurry
  6. row — a line
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pit — in a race
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. root — of a word
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. root — the cause
  20. row — to paddle
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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