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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mate — a friend
  4. file — a document
  5. bore — to drill
  6. key — in music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. key — for a lock
  15. root — the cause
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bore — to tire
  18. file — a line of people
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bark — to shout
  21. file — a tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. root — of a word

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