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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: bark · cap · rest · root · cabinet · mark · drill · date

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rest — a break
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bark — to shout
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a word
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cap — a hat
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cabinet — ministers

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