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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. court — of a king
  4. bark — to shout
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. root — the cause
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. root — of a word
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — a container
  19. stand — to bear
  20. march — the month
  21. tube — the underground
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. march — music

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