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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: bat · rush · roll · saw · lean · can · root · bark

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. roll — a cake
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. root — of a word
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lean — thin
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. root — the cause

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