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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. object — to protest
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. object — a thing
  11. tear — to rip
  12. object — an aim
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in biology
  17. current — of water
  18. scale — in music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cell — a phone
  23. current — electric
  24. pass — to succeed

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