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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — the time now
  13. root — of a word
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. current — of water
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ground — a position
  20. present — a gift
  21. current — electric
  22. squash — to crush
  23. current — happening now
  24. present — there

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