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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. season — of the year
  5. root — of a word
  6. tube — the underground
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. bark — to shout
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. season — in sport
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. tube — a container
  22. clip — for paper
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. board — a flat piece

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