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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lean — thin
  3. root — of a plant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. scale — in music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lie — to recline
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cap — of ice
  13. scale — size or range
  14. tear — to rip
  15. content — the amount
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. root — the cause
  18. content — happy
  19. cap — a hat
  20. root — of a word
  21. cap — a lid
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. spring — the season
  24. lie — an untruth

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