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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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. land — a country
  4. net — for catching
  5. rock — a stone
  6. object — an aim
  7. net — in sport
  8. object — to protest
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. squash — to crush
  13. net — after costs
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. branch — a division
  16. object — a thing
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. rock — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tear — to rip
  23. squash — the sport
  24. plane — in geometry

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