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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: chest · sharp · bay · bear · object · mouse · root · hand

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. object — a thing
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. chest — of your body
  9. root — the cause
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — of your body
  17. root — of a plant
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — an aim
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. root — of a word
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. hand — help

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