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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: root · court · wind · mark · bark · rock · cap · jam

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. court — for sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cap — of ice
  10. court — of a king
  11. root — the cause
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cap — a lid
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rock — music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. root — of a word
  24. court — of law

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