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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — soda
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. press — newspapers
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. press — to push
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rash — a series
  24. press — a publisher

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