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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tear — to rip
  6. track — a path
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. track — to keep track
  14. content — happy
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. tube — a container
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. content — the amount
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. track — a song

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