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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spring — of water
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. present — there
  11. spring — a coil
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spring — the season
  14. present — a gift
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tear — to rip
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fall — the season
  24. deal — to handle

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