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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. kid — child
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — a series
  6. spell — a short time
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rash — hasty
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spell — letters
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spell — magic
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. tear — from crying

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