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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. root — of a word
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. swing — in golf
  5. kid — child
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. root — the cause
  9. swing — music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. tear — to rip
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — to tease

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