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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.

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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: bear · press · bark · root · court · perch · patient · squash

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bear — the animal
  6. root — the cause
  7. court — for sport
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. press — a publisher
  11. perch — the fish
  12. press — newspapers
  13. court — of a king
  14. press — to push
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — of law
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — to shout

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