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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: root · club · dip · hand · bound · bark · current · racket

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bound — tied together
  4. hand — help
  5. bound — obliged
  6. current — happening now
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. current — of water
  9. club — a group
  10. root — the cause
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hand — in cards
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. club — for golf
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. club — for dancing
  21. current — electric
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bark — to shout
  24. racket — for tennis

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