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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: present · object · root · tear · foot · pop · net · hide

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. object — to protest
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. net — after costs
  7. tear — from crying
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. tear — from crying
  10. root — the cause
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. tear — to rip
  13. root — of a word
  14. pop — to visit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. object — a thing
  17. foot — a measure
  18. object — an aim
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pop — music
  21. present — there
  22. net — in sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. net — for catching

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