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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. root — of a word
  3. saw — the tool
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. tear — from crying
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chest — a box
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. tear — to rip
  13. root — the cause
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pass — a permit
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bound — tied together
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. root — of a plant
  24. squash — the sport

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