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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: present · sharp · wound · root · perch · bark · land · coach

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. land — ground
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. root — the cause
  7. wound — an injury
  8. present — a gift
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. land — a country
  12. perch — the fish
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — clever
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. root — of a word
  23. land — to come down
  24. bark — of a tree

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