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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — a cup
  4. staff — employees
  5. lean — thin
  6. rock — a stone
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mug — to rob
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rock — music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mug — a face
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — to put up with

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