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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. key — for a lock
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. lean — to bend
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. key — the most important part
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. can — a tin
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. key — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. race — the arms race
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lean — thin
  24. can — a tin

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