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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. net — in sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. scale — size or range
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. root — of a word
  11. track — a path
  12. root — the cause
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. scale — in music
  16. net — after costs
  17. bark — to shout
  18. foot — a measure

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