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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — after costs
  10. tear — to rip
  11. net — in sport
  12. root — of a plant
  13. spring — a coil
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spring — of water
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cold — an illness
  22. spring — the season
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cold — not warm

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