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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. chest — of your body
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chest — a box
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. chest — of your body
  17. present — the time now
  18. club — for golf
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. club — a group
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. present — a gift

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