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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. can — a tin
  6. field — for sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. field — farmland
  11. tear — to rip
  12. can — a tin
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. kid — child
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — a subject
  23. bank — for money
  24. can — to be able to

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