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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. firm — a company
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spring — of water
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — a coil
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bound — certain
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. face — to confront
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. firm — decided
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. firm — steady
  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