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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rest — what's left
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pop — soda
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pop — to visit
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rest — what's left
  17. shower — rain
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pop — music
  24. bark — of a tree

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