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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. field — farmland
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. key — in music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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