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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 120 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 · cap · nail · pitch · snap · root · rock · kick

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rock — music
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cap — a lid
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — in football
  17. rock — a stone
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bark — to shout
  22. snap — to click
  23. kick — with a leg
  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