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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spell — letters
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spell — magic
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fork — in a road
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. kid — child
  21. squash — the sport
  22. stand — to bear
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. season — to add flavour

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