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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rash — hasty
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rash — a series
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. hand — help
  21. bound — certain
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spring — of water
  24. bulb — for light

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