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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — the amount
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. march — the month
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. row — a line
  12. tear — from crying
  13. prune — to trim
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. march — music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kick — in football
  20. content — happy
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. calf — of the leg

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