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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. root — of a word
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — a division
  13. pop — music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. hand — in cards
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wax — to grow
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pound — for dogs

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