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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. craft — boats
  8. net — in sport
  9. stock — shares
  10. drill — the tool
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. net — after costs
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stock — goods
  19. drill — army training
  20. wake — a trail
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bark — to shout
  23. root — of a plant
  24. drill — a practice

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