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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. tear — to rip
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. field — a subject
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bound — certain
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rest — a break
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — tied together
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. snap — to click
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bound — obliged
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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