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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tear — from crying
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — a tin
  10. content — the amount
  11. row — a line
  12. saw — the tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — to be able to
  20. plane — a tool
  21. content — happy
  22. row — to paddle
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pitcher — a jug

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