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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tear — from crying
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. firm — a company
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pop — music
  12. root — the cause
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — a city
  17. pop — soda
  18. firm — steady
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tear — to rip
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. root — of a word
  24. capital — money

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