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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. tear — to rip
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spell — letters
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. scale — size or range
  12. spell — a short time
  13. land — ground
  14. object — an aim
  15. spell — magic
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — a country
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — to come down
  24. tear — from crying

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