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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. root — the cause
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — a group
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pound — a weight
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. pound — for dogs

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