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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rock — music
  3. face — to point toward
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. scale — size or range
  7. root — of a word
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pop — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. scale — in music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. current — happening now
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pop — soda
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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