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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · cold · tube · nail · lie · ball · bark · root

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. root — the cause
  3. tube — the underground
  4. root — of a plant
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ball — a dance
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. tube — a container
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. root — of a word
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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