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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.

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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 · net · bark · scale · face · ground · shower · court

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bark — to shout
  3. net — for catching
  4. root — the cause
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — size or range
  8. shower — to wash
  9. root — of a word
  10. court — of law
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. root — of a plant
  14. scale — in music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. shower — rain
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — after costs
  20. court — for sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. court — of a king
  23. net — in sport
  24. scale — for weighing

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