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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. lean — to bend
  3. shower — rain
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — a coil
  7. board — a committee
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. spring — of water
  15. lean — thin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. spring — the season
  21. shower — to wash
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. present — the time now

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