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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. tear — to rip
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bound — obliged
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. ground — crushed
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — a subject
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — hurry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. ground — a position
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — in golf
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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