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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: bass · pitcher · root · racket · mate · row · vault · bark

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. row — a line
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. root — the cause
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. root — of a plant
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bass — the fish
  13. root — of a word
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bark — to shout
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — to paddle

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