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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: trunk · bark · hide · board · root · band · court · ball

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. court — for sport
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. root — of a word
  8. ball — a dance
  9. root — the cause
  10. board — to get on
  11. bark — to shout
  12. band — a music group
  13. board — a committee
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — of a king
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. band — a ring
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. court — of law
  22. ball — a great time
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. root — of a plant

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