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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. tear — from crying
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pit — in a race

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