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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. root — of a plant
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. root — the cause
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. tear — to rip
  9. march — music
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. root — of a word
  13. court — of a king
  14. march — the month
  15. cold — not warm
  16. court — for sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. court — of law
  22. tear — from crying
  23. key — for a lock
  24. march — the month

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