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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — help
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wound — an injury
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tube — a container
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. firm — steady
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. firm — a company
  17. bulb — for light
  18. firm — decided
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. tube — the underground

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