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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bass — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bass — low music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — a trail
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. root — the cause
  23. craft — boats
  24. sharp — with an edge

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