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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — of your body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. file — a line of people
  8. ground — the earth
  9. file — a tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cell — in biology
  12. ground — a position
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. file — a document
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fork — a garden tool

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