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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: tear · root · deal · game · can · mark · straw · fine

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. game — a match
  3. deal — to handle
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. root — of a plant
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mark — a trace
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mark — a grade
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. can — to be able to
  17. root — the cause
  18. can — a tin
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. tear — to rip
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. can — a tin
  23. root — of a word
  24. game — wild animals

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