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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fall — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. swing — music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — to play on
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bore — gave birth

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