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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bore — to tire
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chest — of your body
  11. staff — a stick
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fork — in a road
  15. kick — in football
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. staff — employees
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bass — low music
  21. chest — a box
  22. root — the cause
  23. staff — employees
  24. kick — with a leg

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