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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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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: can · ground · tear · saw · kid · key

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ground — a position
  4. tear — to rip
  5. ground — crushed
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kid — child
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — in music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. key — the most important part
  12. ground — the earth
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. key — for a lock
  16. saw — the tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. tear — from crying

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