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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mark — a trace
  3. present — there
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — a gift
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — a division
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. tear — to rip
  20. mark — a grade
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pass — a permit
  24. tear — from crying

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