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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.

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: net · scale · track · root · foot · bark · capital · bear

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bear — the animal
  4. foot — a measure
  5. track — to keep track
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. track — a path
  9. bear — the animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. net — for catching
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — to shout
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. track — a song
  22. net — in sport
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. capital — a city

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