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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rash — a series
  4. tear — from crying
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. spring — the season
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spring — of water
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. spring — a coil
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — music
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tear — to rip
  21. squash — the sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. squash — the vegetable

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