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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: tear · foot · arm · kid · content · root · stand · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — the fruit
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. kid — child
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kid — to tease
  10. foot — a measure
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. root — the cause
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. root — of a word
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. tear — from crying
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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