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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. kid — to tease
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. drill — a practice
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitch — completely
  20. root — the cause
  21. drill — army training
  22. branch — a division
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. root — of a word

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