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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: net · racket · perch · drill · bat · bark · spring · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. drill — the tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. drill — a practice
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. spring — a coil
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — in sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spring — the season
  14. drill — army training
  15. spring — of water
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. root — of a word
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bat — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. perch — the fish

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