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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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Word bank
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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: tear · hand · season · rock · dip · ground

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ground — the earth
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ground — a position
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rock — music
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rock — a stone
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. tear — from crying
  18. season — to add flavour

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