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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spring — of water
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — in music
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pop — music
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. fine — all right
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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