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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fine — high quality
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. land — a country
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fine — all right
  20. land — ground
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. squash — to crush

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