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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. spell — letters
  11. bass — low music
  12. capital — a city
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bound — certain
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. capital — money
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bulb — for light

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