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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 124 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. press — to push
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. track — a song
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wound — an injury
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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