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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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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: spell · cell · bark · kid · rest · root · rash · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. rash — a series
  3. root — of a word
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spell — magic
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kid — child
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. cell — in biology
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. root — the cause

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