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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. march — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — a division
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to click
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitch — completely
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — in cards
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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