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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: game · pass · bear · calf · wound · tear · rule · leaves

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bear — the animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rule — a law
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. game — a match
  18. pass — a permit
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rule — government
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wound — an injury
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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