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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — the earth
  3. race — humankind
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tear — to rip
  7. race — a contest
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — a permit
  10. field — a subject
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. ground — a position
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. root — the cause
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. spring — of water
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. field — for sport
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. spring — a coil
  23. field — farmland
  24. spring — the season

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