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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. court — for sport
  3. bark — to shout
  4. prune — to trim
  5. root — of a word
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of a king
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — to fit
  14. court — of law
  15. suit — in cards
  16. stock — goods
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. root — the cause
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stock — shares
  24. prune — the fruit

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