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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 120 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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spell — magic
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. root — the cause
  7. press — to push
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. spell — letters
  12. tear — from crying
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spell — a short time
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — rain
  18. chest — a box
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chest — of your body
  21. shower — to wash
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — from crying

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