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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mug — a cup
  6. field — a subject
  7. tear — to rip
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. kid — to tease
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bear — the animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. row — a line
  19. kid — child
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. field — farmland
  22. row — to paddle
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mug — to rob

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