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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 120 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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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 · snap · tear · tube · root · bear · mark · perch

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mark — a grade
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — the cause
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mark — a trace
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. root — of a plant
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — a container

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