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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bark — to shout
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — high quality
  13. root — of a word
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fine — all right
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bat — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. tear — from crying

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