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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. root — the cause
  12. fall — the season
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hand — help
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. root — of a word
  24. safe — out of danger

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