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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. tear — from crying
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. root — the cause
  5. tear — to rip
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. root — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. foot — a measure
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. band — a ring
  23. root — of a word
  24. patient — a sick person

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