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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. root — the cause
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. club — for golf
  5. bark — to shout
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. root — of a word
  8. club — for dancing
  9. game — wild animals
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. club — a group
  14. game — a match
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. branch — a division
  19. root — of a plant
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. branch — of a bank

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