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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bulb — for light
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pitch — completely
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. charge — a price
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. charge — in control

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