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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. land — a country
  4. tear — to rip
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — music
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tear — from crying
  24. craft — boats

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