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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bear — the animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tear — from crying
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pound — a weight

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