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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: hand · net · deal · root · saw · cell · bear · tear

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — in cards
  7. net — after costs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. root — of a plant
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hand — help
  12. root — of a word
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cell — in biology
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. deal — to handle

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