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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rock — a stone
  7. scale — in music
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rock — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mug — to rob
  24. can — a tin

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