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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. race — the arms race
  6. present — a gift
  7. key — the most important part
  8. race — a contest
  9. tear — to rip
  10. prune — to trim
  11. present — there
  12. race — humankind
  13. prune — to trim
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bear — the animal
  16. key — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bear — the animal
  19. scale — in music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. present — the time now
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. scale — size or range
  24. foot — a measure

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