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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pound — a weight
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. tear — from crying
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tear — from crying
  9. snap — to click
  10. root — of a word
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. root — the cause
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. racket — for tennis
  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