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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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. straw — dry grass
  4. bore — to tire
  5. net — in sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. net — for catching
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rush — hurry
  19. net — after costs
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. root — the cause
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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