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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a tool
  4. wound — an injury
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — a permit
  10. content — the amount
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. file — a document
  15. content — happy
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. row — a line
  19. root — the cause
  20. tear — to rip
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. root — of a plant
  24. safe — out of danger

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