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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. row — a line
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. root — the cause
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pop — music
  10. drill — the tool
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pop — soda
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. drill — army training
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mouse — the animal

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