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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bound — certain
  7. scale — size or range
  8. root — of a word
  9. tear — to rip
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. scale — in music
  12. root — of a plant
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bound — obliged
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bound — tied together
  19. root — the cause
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. tear — from crying

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