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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — a group
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. tear — to rip
  9. land — ground
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. land — a country
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. wake — a trail
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. current — of water
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fork — in a road
  24. land — to come down

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