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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: straw · root · safe · game · tear · date · ball · bear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. date — the fruit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. game — wild animals
  8. root — of a plant
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a great time
  13. root — of a word
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a dance
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. root — the cause
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. tear — to rip

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