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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: tear · wake · leaves · arm · wound · bear · cabinet · deal

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wake — a trail
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. 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