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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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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: fork · mate · saw · dip · spring · tear · race · bay

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. mate — to breed
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. tear — to rip
  15. spring — of water
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mate — a partner
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — a horse colour

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