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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a word
  4. ground — the earth
  5. march — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ground — a position
  8. march — the month
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wind — moving air
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ground — crushed
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — to tire

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