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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
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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: date · spring · bat · kick · root · bark · mug · stick

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spring — the season
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. kick — in football
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mug — a cup
  14. date — the fruit
  15. spring — of water
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mug — a face
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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