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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. dip — to sink
  3. lean — thin
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — from crying
  6. can — a tin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rock — a stone
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — the month
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mug — a cup
  16. rock — music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mug — a face
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — a tin
  24. mug — to rob

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