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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. wound — an injury
  3. chest — a box
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cue — a signal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wound — an injury
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chest — of your body
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tear — from crying
  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