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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. perch — the fish
  3. club — for golf
  4. root — of a plant
  5. capital — money
  6. club — a group
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bear — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — for dancing
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. tear — from crying
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. root — of a word
  22. tear — from crying
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — to put up with

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