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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pass — a permit
  5. capital — a city
  6. root — the cause
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. root — of a word
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. row — a line
  11. bank — for money
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bank — for money
  15. craft — boats
  16. root — of a plant
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. capital — money
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bark — to shout

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