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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: staff · season · root · pass · pitcher · can · bound · bark

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — certain
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. root — of a word
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — employees
  19. root — the cause
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bound — obliged
  23. root — of a plant
  24. season — in sport

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