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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 116 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: hand · stock · bark · bat · race · pass · leaves · root

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. race — a contest
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. root — of a word
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. race — the arms race
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. root — the cause
  16. pass — a permit
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stock — goods
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. race — humankind
  24. pass — to spend time

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