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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. staff — employees
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. staff — employees
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. root — the cause
  22. staff — a stick
  23. root — of a word
  24. hand — in cards

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