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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. row — a line
  4. race — a contest
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. race — humankind
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — child
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. can — to be able to
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. tear — from crying
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — from crying

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