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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — a coil
  4. scale — in music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wax — to grow
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spring — the season
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — of water
  18. scale — size or range
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hide — to keep secret

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