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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — the cause
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. drill — army training
  8. hand — help
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. root — of a plant
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bear — the animal
  16. root — of a word
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. hand — in cards

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