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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bear — the animal
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. branch — a division
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. tear — to rip
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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