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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 116 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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mate — to breed
  3. field — farmland
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mate — a friend
  6. press — newspapers
  7. kid — child
  8. lean — to bend
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — thin
  11. press — to push
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. kid — to tease
  14. field — a subject
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pass — a permit
  22. branch — a division
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. mate — a partner

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