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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · bowl · chair · bark · row · sharp · rule · root

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. root — of a word
  6. rule — government
  7. row — a line
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. can — a tin
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. root — of a plant
  15. row — to paddle
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rule — a law
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. can — a tin
  23. sharp — clever
  24. row — a quarrel

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