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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spell — a short time
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tear — to rip
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. toast — bread
  13. spell — magic
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pound — a weight
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. track — a song
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. racket — for tennis

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