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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: net · snap · bank · bark · roll · scale · board · root

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. root — of a word
  3. bank — of a river
  4. root — the cause
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. board — to get on
  7. roll — a cake
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. bank — for money
  11. roll — a list
  12. scale — in music
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. net — for catching
  15. scale — size or range
  16. root — of a plant
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bank — for money
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — for weighing

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