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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lean — to bend
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. root — of a plant
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wound — an injury
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. snap — to click
  16. wound — an injury
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — thin

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