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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. suit — in cards
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spring — a coil
  14. suit — clothes
  15. chest — a box
  16. tear — to rip
  17. suit — to fit
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. spring — of water
  24. hide — animal skin

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