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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. shower — to wash
  7. band — a music group
  8. snap — to click
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. content — the amount
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bulb — for light
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. shower — rain
  19. tear — from crying
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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