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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. land — ground
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fall — the season
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. land — a country
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the fish
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rush — hurry
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — shares
  17. fall — to drop
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bass — low music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stock — goods
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — to drop

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