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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. rash — a series
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. file — a document
  7. roll — a list
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. file — a tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fall — the season
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. file — a line of people

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