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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 116 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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. tear — from crying
  5. key — the most important part
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tear — from crying
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — a subject
  17. file — a tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. root — the cause
  20. file — a document
  21. rash — a series
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. field — farmland
  24. sharp — with an edge

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