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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: bowl · bark · dip · date · fork · root · bat · squash

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fork — in a road
  8. root — of a word
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bat — the animal
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. squash — the sport
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bark — to shout
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bat — for baseball

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