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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. tear — to rip
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bear — the animal
  10. court — of a king
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — of law
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — for sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — a container
  24. nail — for a hammer

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