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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rash — a series
  5. track — a song
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rash — hasty
  13. track — a path
  14. pop — music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pop — soda
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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