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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitch — completely
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. root — of a word
  11. craft — boats
  12. shower — rain
  13. stem — to come from
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. root — of a plant
  16. shower — to wash
  17. root — the cause
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. craft — a skill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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