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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ball — a great time
  7. squash — the sport
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cap — a hat
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. tube — a container
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. perch — for a bird

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