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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cell — in biology
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. club — for dancing
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. tear — from crying
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — a phone
  15. object — an aim
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. club — for golf

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