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

Word bank: mug · temple · fall · root · cue · tear

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cue — for pool
  8. root — the cause
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. root — of a word
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mug — a face
  14. fall — the season
  15. root — of a plant
  16. tear — from crying
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fall — to drop

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