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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. suit — in cards
  5. tear — to rip
  6. suit — to fit
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. suit — clothes
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. march — the month
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. snap — to click
  17. plane — a tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. march — the month
  20. content — happy
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — music
  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