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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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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 · wave · saw · key · mine · club · bear · field

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mine — for digging
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bear — the animal
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. key — the most important part
  11. field — a subject
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bear — the animal
  17. club — for golf
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. tear — to rip

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