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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tear — from crying
  3. staff — employees
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a document
  14. bear — the animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. root — the cause
  24. plane — in geometry

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