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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lean — thin
  6. fine — all right
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fine — high quality
  9. field — farmland
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. field — a subject
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. field — for sport
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bear — to put up with

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