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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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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: squash · ruler · bark · cold · racket · stand · root · bulb

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. squash — to crush
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. squash — the sport
  7. root — of a word
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. root — the cause
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — to bear
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bulb — for light
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cold — not warm

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