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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. court — of law
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. court — of a king
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. saw — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bulb — for light
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. tear — to rip
  20. court — for sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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