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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: mouse · wake · bark · root · land · wind · ball · sharp

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. land — ground
  3. sharp — clever
  4. land — a country
  5. root — of a plant
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. root — the cause
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. root — of a word
  15. land — to come down
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ball — a great time
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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