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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · snap · tear · bear · field · calf

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — farmland
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. tear — to rip
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rest — a break
  15. snap — to click
  16. field — a subject
  17. bear — the animal
  18. calf — a young animal

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