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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. land — a country
  3. mark — a trace
  4. prune — to trim
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — ground
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bark — to shout
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. land — to come down
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. root — of a word
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. root — the cause
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. net — for catching
  21. mark — a grade
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. arm — a part of something

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