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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. root — of a word
  3. court — of law
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rock — music
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. court — for sport
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. court — of a king
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — a break
  14. root — the cause
  15. rock — a stone
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rest — what's left

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