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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cap — of ice
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — a publisher
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. press — newspapers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — to push
  13. tear — to rip
  14. field — for sport
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. field — a subject
  18. cap — a hat
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — farmland
  23. cap — a lid
  24. coach — a trainer

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