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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. root — the cause
  7. bark — to shout
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. root — of a word
  13. rash — hasty
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. capital — money
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chair — a leader
  19. shower — rain
  20. content — the amount
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. capital — a city
  24. rash — a series

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