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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rule — a law
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. field — for sport
  9. kid — child
  10. field — a subject
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. field — farmland
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mine — for digging
  17. craft — a skill
  18. rule — government
  19. tear — from crying
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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