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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — of the year
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. root — of a word
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. branch — a division
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. root — the cause
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. tear — to rip
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wax — to grow
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rush — hurry
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rush — to hurry

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