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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: root · toast · mouse · clip · pop · racket · bark · chest

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chest — a box
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pop — soda
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. clip — a video
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pop — to visit
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. chest — of your body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. toast — the most admired

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