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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: season · ruler · mate · wake · bat · tear · nail · calf

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — of the year
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. season — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mate — a partner
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wake — a trail
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — a young animal

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