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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · bark · court · bound · stock · root · bay · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spell — magic
  3. root — the cause
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — certain
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bound — tied together
  8. court — of law
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a word
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stock — goods
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. court — for sport
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spell — letters

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