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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 116 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. tear — from crying
  13. current — electric
  14. tear — to rip
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. current — happening now
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stem — a stem cell

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