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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. court — of a king
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. last — finally
  14. club — for dancing
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. club — a group
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. club — for golf
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cap — a hat

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