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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spell — a short time
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tear — from crying
  9. snap — to click
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. spell — magic
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. press — to push
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spell — letters
  18. press — a publisher
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. press — newspapers
  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