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

Word bank: root · ruler · cold · wake · bark · clip · shower · firm

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cold — an illness
  4. clip — to cut
  5. firm — a company
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. shower — rain
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. clip — a video
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cold — not warm
  20. firm — decided
  21. clip — for paper
  22. firm — steady
  23. bark — to shout
  24. shower — to wash

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