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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spring — the season
  3. can — a tin
  4. track — a song
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. track — a path
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. can — a tin
  11. spring — a coil
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kid — child
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pitch — completely
  23. spring — of water
  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