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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mine — for digging
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — low music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hand — help
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mine — belonging to me

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