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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. key — in music
  4. tear — to rip
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — for a lock
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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