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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — from a university
  6. key — the most important part
  7. can — a tin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mark — a trace
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mark — a grade
  12. root — of a word
  13. key — in music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. row — a line
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. key — for a lock
  24. root — the cause

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