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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 116 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. squash — to crush
  3. staff — employees
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. spell — magic
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. staff — employees
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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