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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. tear — to rip
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. spell — magic
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ground — crushed
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — letters
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fall — the season
  24. tear — from crying

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