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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bark — to shout
  9. spring — the season
  10. chest — a box
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spring — of water
  13. net — in sport
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. net — after costs
  19. plane — a tool
  20. roll — a list
  21. spring — a coil
  22. net — for catching
  23. bank — for money
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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