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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: ground · rock · content · root · spring · bark · cabinet · trunk

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. root — of a word
  4. ground — crushed
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ground — a position
  7. rock — a stone
  8. spring — the season
  9. root — of a plant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. content — the amount
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. content — happy
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. root — the cause
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — a coil
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rock — music
  21. spring — of water
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bark — to shout

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