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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. firm — steady
  3. net — after costs
  4. tear — to rip
  5. press — to push
  6. staff — a stick
  7. press — newspapers
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. net — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. firm — decided
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. firm — a company
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — for catching
  20. staff — employees
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. staff — employees

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