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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bat — the animal
  5. scale — in music
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fork — in a road
  8. object — to protest
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. object — an aim

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