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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rule — a law
  3. root — of a word
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — government
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. root — the cause
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. pop — soda
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bore — to drill
  24. ball — a great time

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