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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 120 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: club · root · season · rush · staff · can · chest · bark

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. staff — a stick
  4. club — a group
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — hurry
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — in sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. club — for dancing
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bark — to shout
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. staff — employees
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. root — the cause
  18. season — of the year
  19. chest — a box
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. root — of a word
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. club — for golf
  24. root — of a plant

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