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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spring — the season
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. root — of a word
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. capital — a city
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. spring — a coil
  19. capital — money
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spring — of water
  24. lash — to lash out

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