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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. game — wild animals
  3. race — humankind
  4. game — a match
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — the arms race
  8. root — the cause
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. field — a subject
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. root — of a word
  19. field — for sport
  20. race — a contest
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. field — farmland
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bank — for 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