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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bound — certain
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tear — to rip
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. bound — obliged
  9. date — the fruit
  10. squash — the sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. tear — from crying
  13. object — to protest
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bound — tied together
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. object — a thing
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. current — of water
  22. squash — to crush
  23. object — an aim
  24. squash — the vegetable

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