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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.

Make a worksheet

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: sharp · file · can · root · chair · cold · bark · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. root — the cause
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. root — of a word
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. file — a tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. bark — to shout
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ground — crushed
  20. file — a document
  21. root — of a plant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chair — a leader

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