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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — of the year
  4. track — to keep track
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. track — a song
  13. staff — employees
  14. race — humankind
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tear — to rip
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — a path
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — thin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — to wash
  24. season — in sport

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