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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — a tin
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fork — in a road
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. can — to be able to
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. branch — a division
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. can — a tin
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fork — a garden tool

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