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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kid — to tease
  4. root — the cause
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bank — for money
  7. row — to paddle
  8. rock — a stone
  9. perch — the fish
  10. row — a line
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kid — child
  13. bank — for money
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tear — from crying
  17. root — of a word
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. tear — to rip
  20. sharp — clever
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rock — music
  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