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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. net — for catching
  8. root — the cause
  9. bass — the fish
  10. net — after costs
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bark — to shout
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. net — in sport
  24. pound — a weight

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