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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. race — a contest
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — the arms race
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. root — the cause
  9. race — humankind
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. bark — to shout
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. season — in sport
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. season — of the year

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