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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. date — the fruit
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. kick — in football
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. deal — to handle
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fork — in a road
  19. tear — to rip
  20. plane — a tool
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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