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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: root · bark · staff · pound · hide · object · trunk · cold

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cold — an illness
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cold — not warm
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. object — a thing
  9. bark — to shout
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. root — of a word
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. root — the cause
  15. object — to protest
  16. staff — employees
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. staff — a stick
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. object — an aim
  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