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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ground — a position
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — an amount
  11. tear — from crying
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ground — crushed
  14. degree — from a university
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. root — the cause
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — to spend time

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