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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. tear — from crying
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lean — thin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — to handle

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