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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 116 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — after costs
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — in sport
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — crushed
  19. net — for catching
  20. suit — to fit
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ground — the earth
  24. tear — to rip

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