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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: rock · mark · root · face · rash · club · bark · tube

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rash — hasty
  3. face — to confront
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. club — for golf
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rash — a series
  11. root — of a word
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. club — a group
  14. rock — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. root — the cause
  24. rock — a stone

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