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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. snap — to click
  6. season — in sport
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. object — a thing
  9. last — finally
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. last — final
  14. tear — from crying
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bark — to shout
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — to protest
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tear — to rip
  23. last — to go on
  24. season — of the year

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