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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. root — the cause
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. last — final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. tear — to rip
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. file — a tool
  13. last — finally
  14. root — of a word
  15. last — to go on
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. root — of a plant
  24. file — a document

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