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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mug — a face
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mug — a cup
  6. charge — in control
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. charge — a price
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stem — to come from
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. foot — the bottom

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