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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mug — a face
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — soda
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pop — music
  11. root — of a word
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mug — a cup
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. root — the cause
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wound — an injury

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