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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bear — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. press — a publisher
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tear — from crying
  16. press — to push
  17. tear — to rip
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tube — the underground
  20. key — in music
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bound — certain
  23. tube — a container
  24. bound — tied together

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