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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.

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: track · court · lean · lie · bark · root · stand · bat

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. root — of a word
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. lean — thin
  7. track — a song
  8. court — for sport
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. track — a path
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. court — of a king
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. root — of a plant
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. root — the cause
  24. court — of law

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