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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: hide · bulb · land · root · bear · tear · staff · prune

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. 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. land — to come down
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — ground
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. root — of a word
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — of a plant
  12. staff — a stick
  13. prune — to trim
  14. land — a country
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. staff — employees
  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