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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bulb — for light
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. tear — from crying
  8. present — there
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. present — a gift
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — to shout
  18. present — the time now
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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