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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. content — happy
  4. pop — to visit
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. season — of the year
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. season — in sport
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — from crying
  21. content — the amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bark — to shout
  24. lie — an untruth

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