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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: tear · pop · object · pitcher · bay · trunk · fork · cap

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cap — a hat
  3. object — to protest
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fork — in a road
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pop — soda
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tear — from crying
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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