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

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. swing — in golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — a coil
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. charge — in control
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mine — for digging
  15. swing — to play on
  16. vault — a safe
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. swing — music
  19. charge — a price
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. spring — of water
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mine — an explosive

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