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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 120 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 · bay · racket · bowl · bear · fork · mine · arm

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mine — for digging
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. tear — to rip
  24. racket — a loud noise

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