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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · bark · sharp · cabinet · root · snap

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bark — to shout
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. snap — to click
  10. root — of a word
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. root — the cause
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. root — of a plant
  18. sharp — clever

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