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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tear — from crying
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mug — a cup
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lean — thin
  14. mug — a face
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — for a bird

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