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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pound — a weight
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. tear — to rip
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fall — the season
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. tear — from crying
  24. calf — a young animal

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