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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pound — a weight
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. last — final
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. spell — magic
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fall — the season
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. spell — letters
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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