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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. band — a ring
  7. spring — of water
  8. band — a music group
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — boats
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. lean — to bend
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lean — thin
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. spring — the season
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — a coil
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tear — to rip

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