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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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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: sharp · hand · cue · patient · bark · root · wave · tear

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cue — a hint
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. root — of a word
  14. sharp — clever
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tear — from crying
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cue — a signal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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