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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. tear — to rip
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — a tin
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. can — a tin
  9. mate — a partner
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a friend
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. march — the month
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. march — music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. march — the month
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mate — to breed

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