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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 120 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a plant
  3. last — finally
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. net — after costs
  6. bark — to shout
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — of a word
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — a line
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. row — to paddle
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. net — in sport
  17. last — final
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. foot — a measure
  20. deal — to handle
  21. net — for catching
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. last — to go on
  24. row — a quarrel

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