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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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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 · can · chest · root · toast · jam · scale · bound

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. can — to be able to
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bound — certain
  5. can — a tin
  6. toast — bread
  7. root — of a plant
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bound — obliged
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bark — to shout
  16. can — a tin
  17. scale — size or range
  18. root — of a word
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. root — the cause
  23. bound — tied together
  24. chest — a box

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