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

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. root — of a word
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. root — the cause
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bear — the animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. root — of a plant

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