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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. track — a song
  3. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. land — ground
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. land — to come down
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cap — a hat
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tear — from crying
  18. track — a path
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. dip — to sink
  21. track — to keep track
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — a country

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