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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. rule — a law
  2. root — of a word
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. spring — of water
  5. file — a line of people
  6. current — of water
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rule — government
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spring — the season
  11. current — happening now
  12. file — a tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. root — the cause
  15. file — a document
  16. spring — a coil
  17. snap — to click
  18. current — electric
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. root — of a plant
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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