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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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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: wind · kick · bay · jam · date · root · cell · bark

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bark — to shout
  3. root — of a plant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cell — a phone
  13. root — the cause
  14. kick — in football
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cell — in biology
  17. root — of a word
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cell — in a prison

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