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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: bass · chest · bear · lash · wake · court · bark · root

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. court — of law
  4. wake — a trail
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. root — the cause
  10. court — for sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. root — of a word
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bass — the fish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. court — of a king
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — low music
  23. chest — a box
  24. lash — an eyelash

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