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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tear — from crying
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. court — of law
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lean — thin
  12. court — for sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ball — a dance
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. court — of a king
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. prune — to trim

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