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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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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: row · net · root · pound · bark · mate · temple · swing

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mate — to breed
  5. root — of a word
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mate — a partner
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. net — after costs
  12. swing — in golf
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. swing — music
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. row — a line
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  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