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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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Word bank
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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: tear · club · fine · root · bear · stick · bass · spell

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bass — low music
  6. spell — letters
  7. bear — the animal
  8. club — for dancing
  9. root — the cause
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. root — of a word
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — a group
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bass — the fish
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. 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