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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. snap — to click
  4. foot — a measure
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fine — all right
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. field — for sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. field — a subject
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. field — farmland
  22. tear — from crying
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fine — high quality

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