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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: wound · dip · bear · kid · root · bay · rash · stand

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. dip — to sink
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. kid — child
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stand — to bear
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — the cause
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. dip — a sauce

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