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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — farmland
  3. tear — to rip
  4. field — a subject
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rest — what's left
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bank — of a river
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — a weight
  22. field — for sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rest — a break

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