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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pop — to visit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. lean — thin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pop — soda
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bulb — for light
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pop — music

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