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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pound — a weight
  7. root — of a word
  8. march — music
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. roll — a list
  11. march — the month
  12. scale — size or range
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. scale — in music
  15. tear — to rip
  16. root — of a plant
  17. roll — a cake
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. march — the month
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. calf — a young animal

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