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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. craft — boats
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. band — a music group
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bulb — for light
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wind — moving air
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mate — a partner
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. band — a ring
  21. tear — from crying
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. swing — in golf
  24. racket — for tennis

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