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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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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: root · can · tear · mate · file · cue · sharp · bowl

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. can — a tin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — to rip
  6. root — of a word
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cue — a hint
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. sharp — clever
  19. can — a tin
  20. root — of a plant
  21. cue — a signal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. file — a tool
  24. root — the cause

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