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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mark — a trace
  6. firm — steady
  7. clip — a video
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — for dancing
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — for paper
  15. firm — decided
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. shower — rain
  20. club — for golf
  21. firm — a company
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. club — a group
  24. mark — a grade

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