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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. mug — a cup
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bass — low music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. snap — to click
  13. present — a gift
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mug — a face
  18. present — the time now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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