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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · root · land · pound · bark · can · perch · row

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bark — to shout
  5. root — of a word
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — a tin
  10. row — a line
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. staff — a stick
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pound — a weight
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — to come down
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. row — to paddle
  20. can — a tin
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. land — ground
  23. root — the cause
  24. perch — the fish

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