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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 · swing · toast · pit · prune · hide · bear · pound

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. tear — from crying
  9. prune — to trim
  10. swing — music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. swing — in golf
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. pit — in a race

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