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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. face — part of the head
  6. present — a gift
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — to point toward
  9. drill — a practice
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — to confront
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tear — to rip
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — boats
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rule — government
  21. craft — a skill
  22. drill — army training
  23. rule — a law
  24. present — the time now

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