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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 · object · bear · kid · bass · perch · key · date

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. 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. object — an aim
  2. tear — to rip
  3. object — a thing
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bass — low music
  6. kid — to tease
  7. object — to protest
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bear — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. perch — the fish
  13. key — for a lock
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bass — the fish
  17. key — in music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kid — child
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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