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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pit — in a race
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to confront
  10. bulb — for light
  11. march — the month
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pit — a hole
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. march — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. prune — to trim

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