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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: pop · bark · pound · root · last · chair · snap · scale

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pop — music
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. root — of a plant
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. last — finally
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. last — to go on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. root — of a word
  12. bark — to shout
  13. root — the cause
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pop — soda
  16. chair — a leader
  17. last — final
  18. scale — in music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — size or range
  23. snap — to click
  24. pound — a weight

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