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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mate — a friend
  6. ground — the earth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. shower — to wash
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mate — to breed
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. snap — to click
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. shower — rain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tear — to rip

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