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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. root — of a word
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rush — hurry
  7. root — the cause
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pound — a weight
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. object — an aim
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. object — a thing
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. object — to protest
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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