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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — the most important part
  5. tear — to rip
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. key — in music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. key — for a lock
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — the cause
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. trunk — of a car

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