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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. mug — to rob
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mug — a face
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mug — a cup
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. track — to keep track
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — a path
  17. drill — the tool
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a song
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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