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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: row · chip · fall · root · leaves · bark · bowl · race

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. race — the arms race
  3. root — the cause
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. row — a line
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fall — to drop
  10. root — of a word
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. race — a contest
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. chip — for betting
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. race — humankind
  22. bark — to shout
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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