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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chest — a box
  13. mate — a friend
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chest — of your body
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mate — to breed

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