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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tear — to rip
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chip — for betting
  15. squash — to crush
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. last — finally
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. last — final
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. patient — a sick person

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