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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · wind · root · game · land · bark · club · date

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. bark — to shout
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. date — the fruit
  9. club — a group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. game — a match
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. land — ground
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. land — a country
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — for golf
  21. land — to come down
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. hide — to keep secret

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