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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. shower — rain
  3. present — the time now
  4. firm — steady
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — a company
  7. spring — of water
  8. present — there
  9. spring — the season
  10. object — a thing
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. firm — decided
  19. staff — employees
  20. object — to protest
  21. present — a gift
  22. pass — a permit
  23. object — an aim
  24. tear — to rip

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