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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 · nail · season · wound · hide · rest · bear · spring

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. rest — what's left
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wound — an injury
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spring — a coil
  17. season — in sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. rest — a break
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — of the year
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tear — to rip
  24. spring — the season

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