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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. field — farmland
  5. tear — from crying
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. toast — bread
  8. branch — a division
  9. squash — the sport
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. clip — a video
  12. field — for sport
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. clip — to cut
  19. staff — a stick
  20. tear — to rip
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. field — a subject
  24. clip — for paper

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