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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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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 · field · bass · march · root · race · chip · bore

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. field — farmland
  3. root — of a plant
  4. race — a contest
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chip — to eat
  7. march — the month
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. race — humankind
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. march — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. chip — for betting
  21. root — of a word
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. march — the month

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