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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · tear · mouse · wound · lean · toast · season · bat

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. toast — bread
  4. lean — to bend
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. season — in sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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