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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cap — a hat
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — a series
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ground — a position
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cap — of ice

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