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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: court · spell · root · ball · bark · bulb · tube · row

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. court — of law
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tube — a container
  14. spell — letters
  15. root — of a word
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. tube — the underground
  18. court — for sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ball — a great time
  22. court — of a king
  23. row — to paddle
  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