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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bulb — for light
  3. board — a committee
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cold — not warm
  8. board — to get on
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — a tin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cold — an illness
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. can — a tin

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