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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: wound · racket · straw · present · object · tear · root · rush

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. object — a thing
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. present — the time now
  11. root — of a word
  12. wound — an injury
  13. object — an aim
  14. root — the cause
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. object — to protest
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tear — from crying
  19. present — there
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. present — a gift
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. root — of a plant

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