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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cell — in biology
  3. land — ground
  4. staff — employees
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. land — a country
  8. staff — a stick
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. mug — a face
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. staff — employees
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mug — a cup
  20. season — of the year
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. land — to come down

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