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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · rush · foot · root · leaves · tear

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. root — of a word
  3. foot — a measure
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. root — the cause
  9. rush — hurry
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. root — of a plant
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. tear — to rip
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay

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