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

Word bank: root · mate · straw · bark · trunk · bear · tear · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. root — the cause
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. mate — to breed
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. root — of a word

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