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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cell — in biology
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. foot — a measure
  6. tube — a container
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. tube — the underground
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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