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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fine — all right
  3. staff — employees
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. tear — to rip
  13. land — ground
  14. fine — high quality
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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