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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bark — to shout
  5. shower — rain
  6. cell — a phone
  7. root — the cause
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. net — for catching
  10. cap — a lid
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. net — in sport
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. net — after costs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cap — of ice
  19. shower — to wash
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. pound — to hit hard

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