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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. suit — in cards
  3. tear — from crying
  4. land — to come down
  5. spell — letters
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spell — magic
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — in biology
  11. suit — clothes
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. land — ground
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. spell — a short time
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. suit — to fit
  21. land — a country
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. tear — to rip

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