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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. season — in sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. season — of the year
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tube — a container
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. land — ground
  17. lie — to recline
  18. land — to come down
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — a country
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tube — the underground
  24. season — to add flavour

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