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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 120 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: safe · prune · tear · clip · root · drill · spell · capital

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. capital — money
  5. root — the cause
  6. spell — letters
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. prune — to trim
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. clip — to cut
  17. prune — to trim
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. capital — a city
  23. clip — for paper
  24. tear — from crying

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