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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. track — a path
  4. pitch — completely
  5. root — of a word
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bark — to shout
  8. board — to get on
  9. track — a song
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wind — moving air

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