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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. foot — a measure
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. object — a thing
  8. key — for a lock
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spring — the season
  11. kick — in football
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. tear — to rip
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. object — an aim
  21. spring — of water
  22. object — to protest
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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