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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — for betting
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hand — help
  13. can — a tin
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. tear — to rip
  21. staff — a stick
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bulb — for light

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