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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. track — a path
  6. tube — a container
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — to rip
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bore — to tire
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pit — a hole
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tube — the underground
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. root — the cause
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. track — a song
  24. pitcher — a jug

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