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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. root — of a plant
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. current — electric
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. file — a document
  18. root — of a word
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. file — a line of people
  21. root — the cause
  22. current — of water
  23. file — a tool
  24. current — happening now

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