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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · staff · tear · march · stick · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. staff — a stick
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. root — of a word
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. row — to paddle
  7. staff — employees
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. staff — employees
  12. root — the cause
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. root — of a plant
  16. march — music
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tear — from crying

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