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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. root — of a plant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. root — the cause
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stem — to come from
  7. root — of a word
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. roll — a list
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. scale — in music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — the season

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