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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tear — from crying
  3. file — a line of people
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. tear — to rip
  6. root — of a word
  7. file — a tool
  8. roll — a list
  9. saw — the tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. branch — a division
  12. can — a tin
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. file — a document
  15. roll — a cake
  16. can — to be able to
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. root — the cause
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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