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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spring — the season
  3. root — of a word
  4. last — finally
  5. key — for a lock
  6. present — a gift
  7. key — in music
  8. mark — a grade
  9. roll — a cake
  10. spring — of water
  11. key — the most important part
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — the cause
  15. last — final
  16. present — there
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spring — a coil
  19. present — the time now
  20. mark — a trace
  21. root — of a plant
  22. last — to go on
  23. roll — a list
  24. mark — to pay attention

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