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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. staff — employees
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — a trail
  15. track — a song
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. track — a path
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — to put up with

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