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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lean — thin
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bulb — for light
  12. snap — to click
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fork — in a road
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. game — a match
  24. lash — to lash out

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