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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. key — the most important part
  3. drill — army training
  4. root — of a plant
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. drill — the tool
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. tear — from crying
  9. root — of a word
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. key — in music
  13. pound — a weight
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. key — for a lock
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. root — the cause
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tear — to rip
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. lie — to recline

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