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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: root · tear · shower · race · patient · capital · toast · land

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. root — the cause
  3. land — ground
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. capital — a city
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. race — the arms race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. race — a contest
  11. land — to come down
  12. capital — money
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tear — from crying
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. race — humankind
  18. root — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. shower — to wash
  22. land — a country
  23. root — of a word
  24. patient — a sick person

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