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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 120 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. shower — to wash
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tear — from crying
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. last — to go on
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. dip — to sink
  17. tear — to rip
  18. last — finally
  19. shower — rain
  20. last — final
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pitch — completely

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