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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. net — in sport
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. scale — in music
  7. lean — to bend
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lean — thin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — a container
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — the underground

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