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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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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 · root · bowl · wound · row · bay · rock · kick

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rock — a stone
  11. present — there
  12. kick — in football
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. present — a gift
  15. wound — an injury
  16. row — a line
  17. rock — music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. present — the time now

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