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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: lie · branch · hand · sharp · tear · rash · bear · root

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. root — of a plant
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. lie — to recline
  15. branch — a division
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — to rip
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. sharp — clever
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rash — a series

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