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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. root — of a plant
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. root — of a word
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bark — to shout
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. shower — rain
  20. spell — letters
  21. root — the cause
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. spell — magic

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