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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · cold · board · root · straw · bay · mine · cap

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cold — an illness
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bark — to shout
  12. board — a committee
  13. root — of a word
  14. cap — a hat
  15. root — the cause
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. cap — of ice
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. board — to get on

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