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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. snap — to click
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — to be able to
  14. shower — rain
  15. toast — bread
  16. stock — goods
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. can — a tin
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. shower — to wash
  24. tear — from crying

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