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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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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. root — the cause
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ball — a dance
  7. root — of a word
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. row — a line
  12. pit — in a race
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ball — a great time
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pit — a hole
  24. trunk — of a car

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