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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bear — the animal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bear — the animal
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tear — to rip

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