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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. root — of a plant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. root — the cause
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. file — a document
  13. bark — to shout
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. club — for golf
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — a tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. file — a tool
  21. wake — a trail
  22. file — a line of people
  23. club — a group
  24. bowl — a football final

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