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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rock — music
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. march — music
  8. root — the cause
  9. mark — a trace
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cold — not warm
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — the month
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. root — of a word
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — to lash out

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