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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. chest — a box
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. root — of a word
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. hand — in cards
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. present — there
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chest — of your body
  24. hand — help

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