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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mate — a friend
  12. field — for sport
  13. suit — to fit
  14. tear — from crying
  15. field — farmland
  16. mate — a partner
  17. capital — money
  18. field — a subject
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. capital — a city
  21. tear — from crying
  22. suit — in cards
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. suit — clothes

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