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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bore — to drill
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rash — a series
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wound — an injury
  15. snap — to click
  16. root — the cause
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rash — hasty
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bear — the animal

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