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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. race — humankind
  7. season — of the year
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tear — from crying
  11. race — a contest
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. sharp — clever
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mate — a friend
  21. season — in sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rush — a thrill

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