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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bulb — for light
  3. object — to protest
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fall — to drop
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. hand — help
  15. fall — the season
  16. object — a thing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. object — an aim
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fall — to drop
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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