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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lie — to recline
  3. kid — to tease
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. row — a line
  10. spring — of water
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. spring — the season
  13. root — of a word
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kid — child
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stem — to come from
  23. root — the cause
  24. spring — a coil

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