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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. kick — in football
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. branch — a division
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. band — a ring
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chair — a leader

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