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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.

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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: stick · clip · bark · trunk · root · firm · racket · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. firm — steady
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — a video
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. firm — a company
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bark — to shout
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. firm — decided
  18. face — to confront
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. root — of a word
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. clip — for paper

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