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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. tear — to rip
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. degree — an amount
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — in biology
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bulb — for light
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. nail — for a hammer

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