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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. tear — to rip
  9. spell — a short time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. race — a contest
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tear — from crying
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — magic
  24. race — humankind

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