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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. spell — magic
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. tear — to rip
  10. clip — to cut
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. roll — a list
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. spell — letters
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — a short time
  19. clip — a video
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. root — the cause
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. date — the fruit

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