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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. rest — a break
  10. rock — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mug — a cup
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mug — a face
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. mug — to rob
  24. rock — a stone

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