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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — farmland
  4. squash — the sport
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. kid — child
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tear — from crying
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. field — for sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. field — a subject
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kid — to tease
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. deal — to handle

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