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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rash — a series
  3. spring — a coil
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spring — the season
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bound — certain
  9. shower — rain
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bound — obliged
  13. firm — decided
  14. root — of a plant
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — a company
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. perch — the fish
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rash — hasty
  22. root — the cause
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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