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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: rest · kick · tear · pop · saw · cap · can · object

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cap — of ice
  3. object — an aim
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pop — soda
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pop — to visit
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cap — a hat
  12. kick — in football
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — to protest
  15. rest — a break
  16. pop — music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. rest — what's left
  19. object — a thing
  20. rest — what's left
  21. saw — the tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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