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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 116 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: firm · root · mate · bear · trunk · tear · kick · ground

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bear — the animal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — a company
  7. kick — in football
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. ground — the earth
  11. root — the cause
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mate — a partner
  14. ground — a position
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. tear — from crying
  19. firm — steady
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tear — from crying
  24. trunk — of a tree

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