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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cap — a lid
  5. tear — from crying
  6. land — a country
  7. capital — money
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. tear — from crying
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. land — to come down
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. capital — a city
  20. board — a committee
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. board — to get on
  24. land — ground

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