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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · coach · bark · present · root · arm · sharp · trunk

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. root — of a plant
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — for sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — clever
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. present — the time now
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. root — of a word
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. root — the cause
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. field — farmland
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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