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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bulb — for light
  4. face — to confront
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. field — a subject
  11. root — of a word
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. root — the cause
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. tear — to rip
  17. field — for sport
  18. face — part of the head
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — farmland
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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