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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. object — to protest
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. object — an aim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. spring — of water
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. scale — size or range
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. object — a thing
  23. spell — magic
  24. bowl — to roll

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