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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. stock — shares
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. prune — to trim
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. root — the cause
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bound — certain
  15. net — after costs
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stock — goods
  19. present — the time now
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — there

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