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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 120 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
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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: ball · coach · track · root · bark · chair · sharp · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ball — a dance
  3. track — to keep track
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. track — a song
  8. perch — the fish
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — a path
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chair — a leader
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ball — a great time
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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