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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. snap — to click
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lean — thin
  7. roll — a cake
  8. lean — to bend
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — in sport
  12. firm — decided
  13. tear — to rip
  14. firm — a company
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. roll — a list
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — steady
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. tear — from crying

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