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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. date — the fruit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. root — of a plant
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. stock — shares
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — to grow
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. root — of a word
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stock — goods
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. shower — rain
  22. root — the cause
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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