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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. firm — a company
  3. root — of a plant
  4. spell — magic
  5. key — the most important part
  6. tear — from crying
  7. key — for a lock
  8. firm — decided
  9. spell — letters
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. firm — steady
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tear — to rip
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. key — in music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. root — of a word
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fall — the season
  23. root — the cause
  24. trunk — of a car

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