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

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pop — music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. root — the cause
  5. pop — soda
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bass — low music
  9. hand — in cards
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. spell — a short time
  13. object — a thing
  14. root — of a word
  15. tear — to rip
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — to protest
  18. hand — help
  19. bass — the fish
  20. spell — letters
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spell — magic
  24. coach — a trainer

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