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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: pass · club · mine · leaves · bark · root · fall · patient

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. root — of a word
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bark — to shout
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. club — for dancing
  14. root — the cause
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — a group
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. root — of a plant
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fall — the season

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