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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. root — of a plant
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. stand — to bear
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. chest — a box
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. chest — of your body
  16. club — for golf
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. club — a group

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