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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: chest · rush · row · bark · stick · dip · root · hand

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. root — of a plant
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. chest — a box
  13. hand — help
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bark — to shout
  18. row — to paddle
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. root — the cause
  21. row — a line
  22. rush — hurry
  23. dip — to sink
  24. root — of a word

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