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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. object — a thing
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bat — the animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. object — an aim
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. tear — to rip
  17. branch — a division
  18. rule — a law
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. snap — to click
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rule — government

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