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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bear — the animal
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chest — a box
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. season — in sport

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