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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rash — a series
  21. pound — a weight
  22. can — to be able to
  23. tear — from crying
  24. can — a tin

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