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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. tear — to rip
  8. season — of the year
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rash — a series
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. can — a tin
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — a tin
  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