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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — a series
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. capital — money
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tear — to rip
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bass — low music
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bulb — for light

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