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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spell — a short time
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. march — the month
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. bark — to shout
  9. march — music
  10. kick — in football
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. march — the month
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. spell — letters
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. spell — magic
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. capital — a city
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. root — the cause
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. root — of a plant

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