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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: wind · wound · root · kick · vault · bark · chair · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — of a word
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — the cause
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — a leader
  13. kick — in football
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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