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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. march — music
  3. firm — a company
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. tear — from crying
  10. march — the month
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. kid — child
  22. firm — decided
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. branch — a division

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