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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. branch — a division
  14. degree — temperature
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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