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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — a group
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — an injury
  8. object — to protest
  9. club — for golf
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. object — a thing
  15. tear — to rip
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — an injury
  18. content — happy
  19. object — an aim
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. club — for dancing
  23. content — the amount
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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