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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. root — the cause
  3. bark — to shout
  4. band — a ring
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a music group
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stock — goods
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. race — the arms race
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. race — a contest
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. race — humankind
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. root — of a word
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stock — shares
  23. ground — the earth
  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