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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. club — for golf
  3. dip — to sink
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. sharp — clever
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. club — a group
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — hasty
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rash — a series
  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