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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. current — happening now
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. saw — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. current — of water
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tear — to rip
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. current — electric
  24. land — ground

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