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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. key — in music
  7. present — there
  8. drill — the tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. present — a gift
  11. key — the most important part
  12. present — the time now
  13. ground — a position
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a plant
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — to rip
  23. root — the cause
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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