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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ball — a dance
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. scale — in music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ball — a great time
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. file — a document
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wound — an injury
  23. file — a tool
  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