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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. root — of a plant
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rash — a series
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cold — not warm
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rock — music
  20. cold — an illness
  21. root — of a word
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. root — the cause

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