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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. staff — employees
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. root — the cause
  11. bark — to shout
  12. net — after costs
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bore — to drill
  15. court — of a king
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — in sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lean — to bend

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