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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. staff — employees
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — certain
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. tear — to rip
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bass — the fish
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. kid — to tease
  14. plane — a tool
  15. staff — a stick
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bass — low music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. toast — bread
  20. staff — employees
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bound — tied together
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. tear — from crying

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