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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: hand · bore · bark · root · mark · wind · file · temple

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a word
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bore — to drill
  7. mark — a grade
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. file — a document
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hand — help
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mark — a trace
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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