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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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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: bass · bowl · drill · bay · net · bark · capital · root

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — for catching
  5. root — of a plant
  6. capital — a city
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. root — the cause
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. drill — a practice
  15. capital — money
  16. root — of a word
  17. net — after costs
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. drill — army training
  22. bass — low music
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. capital — a big letter

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