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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: mine · chest · bowl · root · kid · firm · bark · suit

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mine — for digging
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. bark — to shout
  22. firm — steady
  23. suit — to fit
  24. firm — a company

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