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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — the cause
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — the tool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. root — of a word
  7. last — finally
  8. tear — to rip
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. last — to go on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to click
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. saw — the tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. file — a line of people
  20. row — a line
  21. last — final
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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