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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rule — government
  6. root — the cause
  7. tube — a container
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — of water
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. spring — the season
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — a grade
  19. season — of the year
  20. rule — a law
  21. season — in sport
  22. root — of a word
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rule — to rule out

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