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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. object — to protest
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bore — to tire
  9. object — an aim
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. object — a thing
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fork — in a road
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stem — to come from
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — to put up 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