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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. root — the cause
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. tear — to rip
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pass — a permit
  13. cue — a signal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cue — for pool
  24. root — of a word

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