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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tear — from crying
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. scale — in music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. tear — to rip
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bulb — for light
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — rain
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — from crying

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