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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. root — of a word
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mug — a cup
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. scale — in music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pop — soda
  10. mug — a face
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rash — a series
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mug — to rob
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pop — music
  23. root — the cause
  24. scale — for weighing

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