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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. club — for dancing
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — to shout
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. root — the cause
  20. club — a group
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. club — for golf
  24. temple — a place of worship

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