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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. net — for catching
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stand — to bear
  6. staff — employees
  7. craft — boats
  8. dip — to sink
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tear — from crying
  11. net — in sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. branch — a division
  14. net — after costs
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. tear — to rip
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — a skill
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. staff — a stick
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. game — a match

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