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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 120 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. root — of a plant
  4. shower — to wash
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. root — the cause
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. shower — rain
  9. bass — low music
  10. season — in sport
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tear — to rip
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rash — hasty
  15. root — of a word
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. season — of the year
  22. rash — a series
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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