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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: tear · key · bore · scale · present · shower · root · bark

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. key — the most important part
  6. present — a gift
  7. key — for a lock
  8. present — there
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. root — the cause
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. key — in music
  16. present — the time now
  17. scale — in music
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bore — to drill
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. scale — size or range
  24. root — of a plant

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