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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bound — certain
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. season — of the year
  11. shower — rain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bulb — for light
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bound — tied together
  23. season — in sport
  24. current — of water

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