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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. can — a tin
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tube — a container
  9. spring — the season
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. sharp — clever
  13. toast — bread
  14. tear — to rip
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. spring — a coil
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. can — to be able to
  24. tube — in a tire

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