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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: rock · board · can · root · bark · rule · season · mate

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rule — government
  3. season — of the year
  4. root — the cause
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mate — a friend
  9. season — in sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. root — of a word
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. board — a committee
  16. can — a tin
  17. rule — a law
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bark — to shout
  20. board — to get on
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rock — music
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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