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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. court — for sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. root — the cause
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tear — to rip
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bulb — for light
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. root — of a plant

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