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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tear — to rip
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. clip — a video
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. clip — for paper
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. staff — employees
  18. spell — magic
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — employees
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. straw — a straw man

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