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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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. march — the month
  4. root — the cause
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — music
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. kick — in football
  18. tear — to rip

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