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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. root — the cause
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. present — there
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — a gift
  21. chip — for betting
  22. root — of a plant
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. prune — to trim

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