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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 116 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: wound · pop · band · firm · root · staff · bark · content

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. root — the cause
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. staff — a stick
  6. root — of a plant
  7. content — the amount
  8. pop — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — decided
  11. band — a music group
  12. root — of a word
  13. staff — employees
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. band — a ring
  17. content — happy
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. pop — to visit
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. band — a rubber band

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