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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. root — of a plant
  3. tear — from crying
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bound — obliged
  8. snap — to click
  9. tear — to rip
  10. root — of a word
  11. suit — to fit
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fork — in a road
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. suit — in cards
  23. root — the cause
  24. suit — clothes

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