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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: object · leaves · tear · fork · kid · cap · bear · bat

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — a thing
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. object — an aim
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. object — to protest
  24. leaves — of a tree

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