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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. field — a subject
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cap — a lid
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. cap — a hat
  11. branch — a division
  12. mark — a grade
  13. field — farmland
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. foot — a measure
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. field — for sport
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mark — a trace

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