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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. root — the cause
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bass — the fish
  10. field — for sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. field — a subject
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. field — farmland
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. root — of a word
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bank — of a river
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bank — for money
  24. bass — the instrument

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