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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: present · band · root · bark · land · jam · toast · staff

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. band — a ring
  6. bark — to shout
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. land — ground
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. present — there
  11. root — the cause
  12. present — a gift
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. band — a music group
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. root — of a word
  17. toast — bread
  18. land — a country
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. staff — a stick
  22. land — to come down
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. present — the time now

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