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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lean — thin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rock — music
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tear — to rip

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