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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spell — a short time
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. march — music
  7. spell — magic
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. spell — letters
  11. rock — music
  12. field — a subject
  13. bark — to shout
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. field — farmland
  20. root — of a plant
  21. rock — a stone
  22. field — for sport
  23. root — the cause
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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