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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fall — to drop
  3. root — of a word
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — of a plant
  6. tear — to rip
  7. land — to come down
  8. fall — the season
  9. root — the cause
  10. squash — to crush
  11. land — ground
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — a country
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — in music
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — the sport
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wind — to turn a key

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