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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: cue · toast · bowl · kid · jam · bark · current · root

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kid — to tease
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. root — the cause
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kid — child
  8. root — of a plant
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. toast — bread
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. current — happening now
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. current — electric
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. root — of a word
  24. current — of water

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