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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — a tool
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. toast — bread
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. tear — from crying
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. rock — music

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