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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. root — of a word
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. key — the most important part
  7. season — in sport
  8. key — for a lock
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rule — a law
  12. dip — to sink
  13. tear — to rip
  14. rule — government
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. root — the cause
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. key — in music
  23. chair — a leader
  24. dip — a sauce

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