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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. tear — to rip
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tear — from crying
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. wound — an injury
  11. scale — in music
  12. bound — certain
  13. hand — in cards
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — army training
  17. scale — size or range
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bulb — for light
  23. club — for golf
  24. hand — help

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