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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hand — in cards
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cue — a signal
  6. root — of a word
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. face — part of the head
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. root — the cause
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cue — a hint
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. face — to confront
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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