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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. root — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wound — an injury
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. game — a match
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. calf — a young animal

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