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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. tear — to rip
  3. key — for a lock
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. key — in music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. prune — to trim

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