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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. band — a music group
  3. chest — of your body
  4. present — the time now
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. chest — a box
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. root — the cause
  9. band — a ring
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ground — a position
  12. rule — a law
  13. root — of a word
  14. spell — a short time
  15. tear — to rip
  16. present — a gift
  17. spell — magic
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rule — government
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spell — letters
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ground — the earth

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