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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.

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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: bark · root · craft · shower · pitcher · field · pass · bore

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. root — of a word
  3. field — farmland
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. shower — rain
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. craft — a skill
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — of a plant
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — boats

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