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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stock — shares
  6. object — a thing
  7. mate — a partner
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tear — to rip
  11. object — to protest
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. object — an aim
  14. mate — to breed
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stock — goods
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — of a plant
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. root — the cause
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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