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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cap — of ice
  6. root — the cause
  7. object — an aim
  8. bank — for money
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. net — in sport
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. object — to protest
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cap — a lid
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bank — for money
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. object — a thing
  21. bark — to shout
  22. key — in music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cap — a hat

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