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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — in a road
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. season — in sport
  5. root — the cause
  6. snap — to click
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lie — to recline
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. season — of the year
  14. stock — shares
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stock — goods
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tear — from crying
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lie — an untruth

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