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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. tear — from crying
  3. track — a song
  4. root — of a word
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. tear — to rip
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. game — a match
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. march — music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. root — of a plant
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. march — the month
  21. track — a path
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — wild animals
  24. track — to keep track

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