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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tear — from crying
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — tied together
  6. file — a tool
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. spell — magic
  10. pop — music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. file — a document
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — certain
  22. pop — soda
  23. coach — a trainer
  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