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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. root — of a plant
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bulb — for light
  12. degree — temperature
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. degree — from a university
  16. root — of a word
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hand — help
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. row — a line
  22. root — the cause
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bulb — for light

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