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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's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — to rip
  3. hand — help
  4. field — for sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. field — farmland
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — a subject
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. tear — from crying
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. toast — bread
  24. hand — in cards

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