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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. tear — from crying
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rash — hasty
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. last — final
  10. pitch — completely
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — finally
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rash — a series
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. last — to go on

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