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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bound — tied together
  3. object — a thing
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. object — to protest
  10. spell — magic
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spell — a short time
  13. field — farmland
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. spell — letters
  16. field — a subject
  17. bound — certain
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bound — obliged
  22. field — for sport
  23. object — an aim
  24. tear — from crying

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