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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bark — to shout
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rule — government
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. season — of the year
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. root — of a word
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — the cause

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