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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. band — a ring
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. track — to keep track
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — to eat
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. root — the cause
  16. track — a path
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. root — of a word
  20. mine — for digging
  21. track — a song
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. band — a music group
  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