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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. root — the cause
  6. wind — moving air
  7. degree — an amount
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mine — for digging
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tear — from crying
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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