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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. tear — to rip
  3. snap — to click
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — of a plant
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spell — a short time
  8. root — of a word
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. press — to push
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — newspapers
  15. spell — magic
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wound — an injury
  18. foot — a measure
  19. root — the cause
  20. spell — letters
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. foot — part of the body

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