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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bat — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. rash — a series
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. root — the cause
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bore — to drill
  24. squash — to crush

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