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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tear — from crying
  3. race — humankind
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. root — of a word
  8. toast — bread
  9. bound — tied together
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. can — to be able to
  12. root — the cause
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bound — certain
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. can — a tin

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