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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cap — of ice
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — to rip
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tear — from crying
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. perch — the fish

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