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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. suit — to fit
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cap — of ice
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kid — child
  10. branch — a division
  11. capital — a city
  12. cap — a lid
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. toast — bread
  16. suit — clothes
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. suit — in cards
  20. kid — to tease
  21. capital — money
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. tear — to rip
  24. branch — of a tree

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