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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — a line
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spring — the season
  7. mug — a face
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spring — of water
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mug — to rob
  20. lie — to recline
  21. tear — to rip
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rest — a break

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