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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: bark · date · race · root · hand · fork · charge · trunk

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hand — help
  11. race — a contest
  12. date — the fruit
  13. root — the cause
  14. charge — a price
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. charge — in control
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fork — in a road
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bark — to shout

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