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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — to be able to
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. row — to paddle
  8. band — a ring
  9. plane — a tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. root — of a word
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. root — the cause
  14. band — a music group
  15. row — a line
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. root — of a plant
  19. can — a tin
  20. bass — low music
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bass — the instrument

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