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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 120 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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. firm — steady
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — the cause
  13. spring — of water
  14. root — of a word
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spring — a coil
  17. firm — a company
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. firm — decided
  20. spring — the season
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. wind — to turn a key

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