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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. club — for dancing
  7. root — of a word
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for golf
  11. ground — a position
  12. root — the cause
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — to shout
  17. ground — crushed
  18. scale — in music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bank — for money

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