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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rash — a series
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — a tin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. can — a tin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ground — a position
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — the earth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spring — the season
  24. rash — hasty

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