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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — to rip
  3. foot — a measure
  4. capital — money
  5. fall — to drop
  6. field — farmland
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. capital — a city
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — for sport
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. tear — from crying
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. foot — the bottom

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