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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: bark · ball · net · branch · field · tube · root · capital

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. field — a subject
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. net — after costs
  9. root — of a plant
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ball — a great time
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. capital — money
  15. root — of a word
  16. field — for sport
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. root — the cause
  19. bark — to shout
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ball — a dance
  22. field — farmland
  23. capital — a city
  24. branch — a division

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