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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. current — electric
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. current — happening now
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — of water
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. season — of the year
  20. field — for sport
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. season — in sport
  24. tear — to rip

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