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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. can — a tin
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rash — a series
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. can — to be able to
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. content — the amount
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bark — to shout
  19. root — the cause
  20. rash — hasty
  21. face — to confront
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — happy
  24. root — of a plant

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