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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 124 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bulb — for light
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. bass — the fish
  6. object — a thing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. file — a tool
  10. fine — high quality
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a document
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. tube — a container
  18. last — to go on
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bass — low music
  22. fine — all right
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. tube — in a tire

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