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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: bark · racket · mouse · last · leaves · wax · root · board

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. root — the cause
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. last — final
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. root — of a word
  8. last — to go on
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. board — to get on
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. last — finally
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bark — to shout
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. board — a committee

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