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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pop — music
  8. lean — thin
  9. root — the cause
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. root — of a word
  14. object — to protest
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. tear — to rip
  18. lean — to bend
  19. present — the time now
  20. pop — soda
  21. present — a gift
  22. object — a thing
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. object — an aim

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