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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. field — for sport
  5. content — happy
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mark — a trace
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. mark — a grade
  24. content — the amount

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