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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 120 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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bound — tied together
  6. net — for catching
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bound — certain
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — after costs
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. root — of a word
  17. net — in sport
  18. root — the cause
  19. spring — the season
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. spring — of water

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