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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. board — to get on
  3. bulb — for light
  4. board — a committee
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. tear — from crying
  12. file — a tool
  13. bank — of a river
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pit — a hole
  16. present — there
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. present — a gift
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. file — a document
  24. tear — to rip

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