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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rash — hasty
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tube — a container
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tube — the underground
  14. season — of the year
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. last — final
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. season — in sport
  24. rash — a series

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