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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. tear — to rip
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. mug — to rob
  7. spring — the season
  8. chest — a box
  9. dip — to sink
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a cup
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. spring — of water
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — the fish
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — a coil
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. net — after costs
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mug — a face

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