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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. root — of a word
  3. present — the time now
  4. root — of a plant
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. band — a music group
  7. ground — the earth
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mark — a grade
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. tear — to rip
  16. present — there
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — a position
  20. band — a ring
  21. root — the cause
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. present — a gift
  24. mark — to pay attention

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