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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pop — soda
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — to rob
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mug — a face
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pop — music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. field — a subject
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tube — a container
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. wake — a trail
  24. field — farmland

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