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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — to crush
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rule — government
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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