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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. capital — a city
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. can — to be able to
  12. file — a tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a document
  17. tear — to rip
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chair — a leader
  23. can — a tin
  24. capital — money

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