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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.

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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: drill · lean · bark · pit · root · capital · object · mark

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. object — a thing
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. object — to protest
  10. drill — a practice
  11. capital — money
  12. object — an aim
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. root — the cause
  18. drill — army training
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. root — of a word
  21. lean — thin
  22. mark — a trace
  23. capital — a city
  24. drill — the tool

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