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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 124 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. net — for catching
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. scale — in music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. net — in sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. root — the cause
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stem — to come from
  24. net — after costs

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