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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. file — a tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. file — a line of people
  11. shower — rain
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cue — for pool
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cue — a signal
  18. file — a document
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bear — the animal

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