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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. current — of water
  7. mate — to breed
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. current — happening now
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. root — the cause
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. snap — to click
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. current — electric
  22. root — of a word
  23. mate — a friend
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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