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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. can — to be able to
  5. clip — for paper
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. band — a music group
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. can — a tin
  17. band — a ring
  18. can — a tin
  19. rock — music
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rock — a stone
  24. saw — the tool

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