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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. saw — the tool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. staff — a stick
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tear — to rip
  9. spell — letters
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rock — music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. rock — a stone
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spell — magic
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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