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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — to go on
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. last — final
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. last — finally
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bulb — for light

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