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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — music
  3. stand — to bear
  4. root — the cause
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pop — soda
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. root — of a word
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pop — to visit
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. root — of a plant

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