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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spring — of water
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — a thing
  7. spring — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — to rip
  10. object — to protest
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fan — to cool the air

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