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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. tube — the underground
  3. present — a gift
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. present — there
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. present — the time now
  13. spell — a short time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — letters
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. spell — magic
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — a container

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