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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. can — to be able to
  6. present — there
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. can — a tin
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. present — the time now
  12. rush — hurry
  13. present — a gift
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tube — a container
  21. can — a tin
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  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