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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cue — for pool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cue — a signal
  7. field — a subject
  8. root — of a plant
  9. lean — thin
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. track — a path
  13. tear — to rip
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. field — farmland
  19. track — to keep track
  20. field — for sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. current — electric
  24. track — a song

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