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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: root · wind · foot · pitcher · bark · chair · roll · calf

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. root — of a plant
  3. roll — a list
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. chair — a leader
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wind — moving air
  11. foot — a measure
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — the cause
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. root — of a word
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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