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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: net · root · march · foot · prune · bark · chip · land

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. net — in sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. march — the month
  6. land — a country
  7. root — of a word
  8. march — music
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. net — for catching
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — after costs
  18. root — of a plant
  19. march — the month
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chip — for betting
  23. foot — a measure
  24. chip — in a computer

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