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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. tear — from crying
  3. charge — in control
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — a price
  6. root — of a word
  7. prune — to trim
  8. root — of a plant
  9. clip — a video
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. clip — to cut
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — for paper
  20. tear — to rip
  21. charge — electricity
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. prune — the fruit

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