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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. object — a thing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. object — to protest
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. object — an aim
  24. tear — to rip

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