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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. patient — calm and waiting
  3. key — in music
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. root — the cause
  6. row — a line
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. perch — the fish
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bark — to shout
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. row — a quarrel
  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