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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. present — there
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — a gift
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — of ice
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bound — obliged

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