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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — help
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — a tin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chest — a box
  8. hand — in cards
  9. chest — of your body
  10. net — after costs
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. can — to be able to
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — for catching
  16. tear — from crying
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. last — final
  19. tear — to rip
  20. prune — to trim
  21. last — to go on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. net — in sport
  24. bear — the animal

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