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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. root — the cause
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cap — a lid
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. field — for sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. root — of a word
  24. coach — a trainer

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