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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — to bear
  4. last — finally
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tube — a container
  13. bulb — for light
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. last — final
  16. cell — a phone
  17. sharp — clever
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — to go on
  24. tear — from crying

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