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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. root — of a word
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ball — a great time
  5. land — to come down
  6. tube — a container
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. land — a country
  9. tube — the underground
  10. club — a group
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. land — ground
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. root — of a plant
  19. drill — army training
  20. ball — a dance
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. root — the cause
  24. bark — to shout

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