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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bulb — for light
  9. court — of law
  10. cap — of ice
  11. court — of a king
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rash — a series
  19. court — for sport
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cap — a hat

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