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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 120 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: calf · bat · fan · bark · root · rash · net · spell

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. net — in sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. spell — magic
  6. root — of a plant
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. spell — a short time
  11. net — for catching
  12. bat — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. root — of a word
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. spell — letters
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — after costs
  23. root — the cause
  24. bat — for baseball

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