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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. lie — to recline
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — goods
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cap — a hat
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. root — the cause
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stock — shares
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. root — of a plant
  24. tear — from crying

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