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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. net — in sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pass — a permit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. current — happening now
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spring — of water
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. tear — from crying
  12. current — electric
  13. root — the cause
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. net — for catching
  21. current — of water
  22. root — of a word
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. net — after costs

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